1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a leg support structure, and more particularly, to a leg support structure that can be used, for example, as part of a child's swing and that can be conveniently folded together when the swing is in storage.
2. Description of the Related Art
A leg support structure typically used with a child's swing employs two sets of legs that can be spread apart when the swing is in use and folded together when the swing is in storage. Known leg support structures that have been used with child swings can be seen, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,589,657, 4,452,446, and 4,324,432. Conventional child swings typically include a housing with an attached child swing seat to which four legs (two front legs and two back legs) are installed to support the weight of the device and the child.
During operation of some conventional swings, the legs tend to gradually "walk" together. Specifically, during the back swing of the device, the weight of the child and the child's backward momentum tend to rock the swing backward, thereby tipping weight of the swing and the child onto the back legs while simultaneously lifting the swing's front legs slightly. As the front legs are lifted, they tend to pivot inwardly a small degree due to the force of their own weight until they again make contact with the ground. This slight pivoting motion results in a new leg configuration in which the front and back legs are somewhat closer. This process is repeated by the back legs and then the front legs again as the oscillating motion repeats itself over and over in the same manner as described above. In this fashion, the legs gradually "walk" together.
This walking phenomenon reduces the stability of the swing and can potentially result in the dangerous collapse of the leg structure and the swing. Thus, known leg structures typically include a leg brace that connects front and back leg pairs to prevent them from walking together during use. Before the swing may be stored, the brace must be disadvantageously removed to allow the legs to pivot together.
Another disadvantage of the conventional device is that the legs are typically spread both apart and away from the gear housing to provide maximum stability for the swing. However, when the legs are pivoted into the folded position, they disadvantageously remain spread away from the gear housing from side to side, thereby increasing the necessary space required to store the device. Still another disadvantage of the conventional device is that the swing housing is typically formed from more than one part in order to form the middle and end sections.